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Preps

Armwood shocks East Bay; Durant up next

TAMPA -- After Durant beat Bradenton Lakewood Ranch 4-0 on Tuesday, boys coach David Peacock said he would rather face top-seeded East Bay in the final. "I would rather play East Bay because we can get up for that one," Peacock said. "After you've popped a team twice (Durant beat Armwood 3-0 and 4-0 in the regular season), you get concerned about complacency."

Start worrying, Coach. Armwood got a second-half goal and made the 1-0 lead stand against East Bay, advancing to the final Thursday.

"We played exactly the way we drew it up," Armwood coach Frank DeRochemont said. "We wanted to keep it close, keep it close, wait for them to get frustrated and then counter and score."

East Bay (9-5) had beaten the Hawks twice (3-0, 6-1) this season and four times in a row dating to last season.

"We stayed in the game the first half, and we had the determination to win," senior striker Chad Usner said. "And we used the two losses (to East Bay) as motivation."

Usner provided the only goal Armwood (7-7-1) needed with a strike in the 53rd minute. Usner ran under keeper Michael Devore's booming punt down the left flank, fielded the ball on one hop and flicked a lofting left-footed shot over the head of charging Indians keeper Juan Rodriguez.

"I know (Devore) can punt the ball far," Usner said. "I just made my lateral run like I'm supposed to along the line, got the breakaway and put it in."

Armwood used a tightly packed defense and counter-attacking strategy to pull off the upset. DeRochemont said the overmatched Hawks worked his game plan to perfection.

"There was no way we could play with (East Bay)," DeRochemont said. "They had beaten us twice already. The only way was to defend our side and then counter."

Durant (8-4-1) had an easier time reaching the final, getting help from Lakewood Ranch (7-9-2) in the process. Durant's Jan Rodriguez was credited with the first score when he rifled a low cross off of a Mustang defender for an own goal. Monty Hase, Ryan Dean and David Rivas (penalty kick) also scored. Despite his wish to play the Indians, Peacock said he expects a tough game in Thursday's final.

"DeRochemont is a great coach," Peacock said.

"He works with his players, and they believe in him."

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